Chevrolet Cobalt General Care & Maintenance

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It's not like the oil monitor is just hooked up to the odometer. It measures all sorts of parameters such as duration of run, ambient temperature, coolant temperature, speeds hit, etc. giving a much more accurate picture of stresses on the oil. That said, it's not a lot of money involved to do it either way.

Does anyone here know how to change the plugs on an 06 Cobalt with the 2.2 Ecotec engine ?Mine is at 93,000 and it will soon be time to change them.I know the plugs are under the silver cover with the ignition module on it and that it needs to come off; but what then ? Are there any tricks/tips ?

I installed a new steering column for my 2006 cobalt. after installation the vehicle lights and radio will come on but the car wont turn over. it shows that it is in lock position. how do i unlock it so that the car will start with the new column and key?

My vehicule is a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox. I figure all G.M. products works the same. This is how the reset is explained in my owners manual.

1. Turn the ignition key to RUN with the engine off. 2. Fully press and release the accelerator pedal tree times to the floor within five seconds. The change engine oil light will flash while the system is resetting. 3. Turn the key to lock position.

If the change engine oil light comes back on and stays on when you start your vehicule, the engine oil life system has not reset. Repeat the procedure.

Keep me in touch, I would like to know if the Cobalt's oil light resetting is the same as the Equinox. Just curious. Good Luck.

According to automobile manufacturer research, a certain percentage of automatic transmission failures are caused by over-filling and/or using the incorrect transmission fluid. It is important to remember to NEVER over-fill the transmission assembly and to ALWAYS use the recommended transmission fluid. To discourage over-filling, some vehicle manufacturers have eliminated the dipstick on the transmission. Unfortunately, this also makes it hard to tell if the fluid level is low.

On automatic transmissions that do not have a dipstick to check the fluid level or add fluid, a fill plug is usually located on the left side or right side of the transmission. On some, there may also be a drain plug on the bottom of the transmission.

To check the fluid level, the transmission must be warm and the vehicle must be parked on a level surface or raised on a lift. Jacking up the front wheels will tilt the vehicle and give an inaccurate indication of the fluid level. Therefore, all FOUR wheels must be raised off the ground and the vehicle must be properly supported by four jack stands. NEVER crawl under a vehicle unless it is safely supported by jack stands.

When the fill plug is removed, some fluid should dribble out of the hole if the fluid is at the proper level (flush with the bottom of the fill plug hole). If no fluid comes out, add fluid to bring it up to the level of the hole.

Below are some of the automatic transmissions that do not have a dipstick:

not a good idea to top off master cylinder. as this is a good visible cue as to the condition of your brake pads. as they become more worn the level of fluid in the master cylinder decreases.if the reservoir is 50% then check the disc pads for wear. also look for signs of fluid loss. :shades:

a properly functioning brake system is not designed to be topped off it is a closed system. thats why there is a min. & max. level line. topping off the master cylinder is good for the brake business. it is one of the best ways to generate rotor work. much rather see that light come on for low fluid than just keep adding. :surprise:

I low reservoir like you mentioned gives a good indication of brake wear or other line issues, but as far as I can recall all of my reservoirs on my past vehicles didn't have an line. Basically you fill it up as far as you can with out spilling when the cover is put on. My Chevy S10 doesn't have a line and my brakes never have issues. My rotors general last 50,000 miles or so which or pretty good. My previous Pontiacs didn't have any particular level either.

harrisblack- there is no serviceable fuel filter on the Cobalt/delta chassis. The newer GM pulse width modulated fuel pump/sending units (FSU's) have a filter integrated into the sending unit. The 'filter' is supposed to last the life of the FSU.

Champion labs does not currently make the ecotec oil filter cartridges for AC Delco. They are made by Hengst. Here is a little oil filter "study" I did recently. The Fram and Supertech are the exact same filter made in Bulgaria, the Carquest that is typically a Wix, is an outsourced Korean made filter.

Wow, oil filters sure have changed. I am used to the metal cased AC/Delco with the metal internal screens that don't fall apart like the cheap internal paper Frams. The Delco's and Wix filters have always shown to be the best in the lab tests I have read in the past including one last year. I have also noticed that the air filters are outrageously priced at about $30 now as well. What ever happened to $5 paper air filters?

I hear you on the prices! I guess on a good note, air filters seem to last a lot longer than the old donut filters of years ago. They don't catch the breather blowby and engine compartment debris like they used to. I really like this drop-in style oil filter. They make for a super easy and mess free oil change. I don't typically buy Fram OF's due to price, but in this case, it's not really a Fram. IIRC, it was $0.10 more than the supertech. They were both around $5.50/ea. The Korean built Carquest was the most expensive at $7.42 and the dealer bought ACD was $5.95. On a side note, the ACD, Hengst built filter is made in the USA. The only one home-built in the bunch.

Hi all, Can anyone give me advice on the proper way to remove the door panels and side mirrors on my 2006 LS Coupe? Last night vandals smashed up BOTH my drivers side and passenger side mirrors beyond repair. I haven't had any luck locating a chilton or haney repair book for diagrams. thanks! ~ Andy B.

Andy, I don't have the specifics, but on any GM I've dabbled with, there will be screws around the inside door handle and around the recess for the arm rest. Once you have the screws out, there will be clips all around the perimeter. Gently pry the panel away. Make sure it's a nice warm day. Warm interior panels don't break as easily.